For the Love of Liberia

The Backstory to Mission 2012
Due to funding from the extensively long moratorium freezing all adoptions, the home for the orphans of the AFFA Liberia house was in great need of repair. The holes in the roof had become increasingly larger allowing rain to leak onto the children in their beds while they slept. The electrical system had been tied together by every type of wire possible and then connected using trashbags. In the back and side yard broken septic pipes forced sewage into the yard. Beyond that there was much more that could be done, but an entire team of contractors would need to do the job. After several promptings and urgings from Cheryl (the AFAA director) and a few friends we decided to commit to taking a trip to Liberia with a team. To do the projects that needed to be done between 12-15 qualified workers would be needed. Other Liberian workers could be hired for $10 a day to help with the work. Plans were put together and an application process was put into place so that we could be sure to pick the best of the best contractors to do the job well. Phone calls, letters, emails, and face to face conversations with as many qualified individuals that could be found was the next step. By the end of June 2012 the team was at 4. A long way from the amount needed, but the dates were set and the plane tickets were on hold. Each of the 4 men were committed to making a difference but qualified contractors they weren't. Of the 4 none of them were professional contractors. Instead they were a tennis pro searching for his next career, an entomologist, a funeral director, and a children's minister. It was considered to postpone the trip until either more people could join the team or more professionals would join the effort. In the meantime Cheryl continued to work on plans for the trip and even worked to ship in a vehicle for the team to use along with many other supplies loaded inside. She also believed if we had time we should add a playground to the project list. In July churches and individuals had given substantial amounts to the work projects and 5 more individuals had joined the team. This time a couple teens that were adopted from the home desired to go back with their adoptive parents to give back to the children. My dad had joined the team as well. Finances had begun to grow and the team members that were committed were gathering the funds they needed to join the trip. They were motivated to make a difference. Within weeks the school board had given permission to my mom to join the team, my brother committed to join, along with his father in law and brother in law. When my dad asked a friend for financial support she quickly asked if she too could join the team. So she did and she invited a co-worker to also join us. The willing workers were growing and even though none of us were qualified to do the work, God was preparing this mission team to experience His greatness. We were now the original 4 along with 2 doctors, a nurse, a teacher, a therapist, two high schoolers, a secretary, an inspector, and an actor committed to doing a huge construction project in just 4 days of work. Soon the tickets were purchased for everyone committed, medical exams and shots were completed, and we prepared to send off for the visas. One team member, Jeff, had committed to staying a couple extra weeks to make sure all the projects were complete, but it wasn't till the end of the trip that Jeff learned the main reason he was really on the team. Unfortunately, one of the adoptive families that had committed had to remove themselves from the team leaving vacancies available. Within days a friend from high school had filled the position when his boss agreed to let him have the time off. The trip was now just three weeks away and plans were getting very chaotic. Signatures for visas had to be done again and then rush delivered to D.C. Tools and equipment were purchased through Lowe's for the at cost price. Other donations had been given and random gifts were given to team members or sent to my house from across the country. Each team member was assigned to a team in Liberia so that everyone would know their roles. Special needs equipment was donated though it was unclear how it would arrive to the orphanage in such a short time. Team members would be flying into Liberia from Minnesota, New Mexico, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Most of us would meet in New York, but one would have to fly separately on a different airline. Then, one night my mom called me and encouraged me to call my uncle. By the next morning he was committed to the team as well but had a lot more things to complete as he did not have a passport, visa, or travel shots complete. Amazingly, it all came together. Visas arrived safely back to each person and November 28th several team members met to pack and repack the supplies we would take. Finally, on November 29th the journey to Liberia began in Lexington, Kentucky. Nine of us would fly out together. We would need to do some repacking again at the airport and make a very last minute decision about the importance and the cost of taking a generator that was purchased from Aldi's. Together we flew to Atlanta, met up with another team member, then on to New York. In New York we connected with our final two teammates (The Macks) and flew across the ocean to work. By the next afternoon we arrived in Monrovia, Liberia exhausted from travel but still needing to collect our luggage and our final two teammates that would be flying in from Paris and Brussels on seperate flights. It was decided at the airport that a couple team members would stay behind to wait while the rest of us went to the house to settle in for the night. Finally, around 11 PM all team members AND luggage had arrived safely at the orphanage. The work would begin the next morning and the team was in great need of a good nights rest.